The elegance, sophistication and adaptability of Louis Vuitton’s relaunched Tambour watch family becomes more apparent with every addition to the line.
Tambours were first introduced in 2002 in a recognisable drum-shaped case (tambour being French for drum), but in late spring this year Louis Vuitton unveiled a complete reinvention of the collection under the direction of Louis Vuitton’s watch director Jean Arnault and its Le Fabrique du Temps manufacture.
That relaunch sent a clear message that watches are not a mere extension of the Louis Vuitton fashion and accessories business, it was making the statement that the brand is ready to fight for a place alongside the biggest and most venerated Swiss horological houses.
This week the Tambour line has been extended with two new models in yellow and rose gold, plus an additional bi-colour piece in steel and rose gold.
They all adopt signatures of the new Tambour, including its circular and voluminous case with curved sides, bezels marked with the twelve Louis Vuitton letters, and integrated bracelets that taper over the first five links and draw the eye towards the dial.
Those dials have an outer chapter ring for the minutes, while the hours are read off an inner ring, both with sandblasted finishes.
Applied Arabic numerals and markers add an extra depth and are filled with Super-LumiNova, as are the tapered openworked hands.
The vertically brushed dial centre adds another dimension, as does the snailed seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
Two steel models were launched earlier this year, but the latest Tambours dial up the opulence with a steel and rose gold piece with a grey dial, one in rose gold with a brown dial and one in yellow gold with a white dial.
They are powered by the chronometer-certified cal. LFT023 designed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in collaboration with Le Cercle des Horlogers.
The movement, wound by a 22ct gold micro-rotor, is accurate to -4/+6 seconds per day and has a 50-hour power reserve.
Horologically and commercially, these watches are pitched at collectors who are prepared to pay not so much for the Louis Vuitton name on the dial, but for the craftsmanship, engineering, design and expertise of Le Fabrique du Temps and its team.
Both all-gold models are on sale now for £49,500. The bi-colour steel and rose gold piece is £25,100. The two steel pieces that launched before the summer (below) are £17,500.
When are they going to get their name, their own name, on their Heuer brand dials???